I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated reading the press and blogs this week. Certain consistently reasonable sites excepted, there has been a glut of unnecessary complaining, ranging from us being merely Barcelona-lite (hardly the most pointed insult) to demands for a complete squad overhaul.

Some would have you believe that our season is over already, and are already going through the process of deciding who we should buy and sell in the summer. Hang on a second. We’re three points off the pace in the Premiership – we have plenty left to play for. Isn’t the summer madness long and painful enough without starting a month early?

I haven’t done one of these lists for a while, but I decided to because a) they don’t actually take that long and I’m pushed for time tonight, and b) I wanted to remind people why there are plenty of reasons to stay positive. Here we go.

1) We got as far in the Champions League as any English club, further than Chelsea and miles beyond Liverpool.

2) We may have been ultimately outclassed by Barcelona, but we gave them a scare, which is more than most, and we did it by playing football, not by using underhand tactics. They are the likely, and deserving, champions.

3) On Wednesday, we could celebrate St Totteringham’s Day at White Hart Lane. Having won the league there a few years back, it would be another reason to chuckle at the expense of our neighbours.

4) We have had more injuries than last season, yet have improved domestically. What does that say about those that stayed fit? How much have they improved?

5) We have a manager with class. Tony Pulis can continue his personal vendetta by spouting all sorts of nonsense in the press, but his team are filled with players who break legs and fight with each other, so what kind of moral code do you expect? Wenger, rightly, is keeping quiet and letting our football do the talking.

6) No matter how bad things get, put yourself in Liverpool’s shoes. Having spent far more than we have, they are sixth in the Premiership, they lost in the League Cup to our kids, to a Championship side at home in the FA Cup, went out of the Champions League in the group stage, and have warring owners. Oh, and a manager who is probably off in the summer.

7) Van Persie, Djourou and Gibbs may all play before the end of the season.

8) We are signing a player in the summer who keeps scoring crucial goals for Bordeaux, both domestically and in crucial European games. And we aren’t paying a penny for him.

9) Our financial approach is sustainable, and our debt manageable, unlike the rest of the Premiership’s top brass.

10) We have a team spirit this season that hasn’t been matched in some years, largely because certain negative influences (here’s looking at you Adebayor) have gone. The fight is there for all to see.

No-one is pretending that everything is perfect. I know certain things have to change, and my guess is that Wenger does too. But the way some people are talking, you would think that we were tenth in the league, not in with a chance of lifting the title. I guess some people prefer to moan than look at the obvious evidence in front of them that says we’ve improved dramatically in a year.

Great post. Being written off before the start of the season by 99% of the pundits even for 4th place in the EPL.
5 games to go 3 points behind the leaders… This is great enjoying the season very much.

Generally i agree and with 6 grand to win if Arsenal take the title i certainly haven’t started thinking of next season yet and i knew we’d exceed all expectations this year, which is why i jumped on the 11/1 bet at the start of the season.

Don’t agree with number 8 though. The guy has scored 28 goals in total in the last 2 years while in the best team in the 2nd rate French league, it’s clearly not enough. No waste of money but a waste of a squad place. If he was 18 they’d be great stats but he’s been at his peak.

It’s all bullshit, how long shall we continue to hear the same story every season, pls we need a potencial reinenforcement, we can’t compare ourselve with liver and man utd, they have all lifted chams league, and chealsea are still in a facup and top of the league, cut it off man, we need to bring in some experience in.

It’s all bullshit, how long shall we continue to hear the same story every season, pls we need a potencial reinenforcement, we can’t compare ourselve with liver and man utd, they have all lifted chams league, and chealsea are still in the facup and top of the league, cut it off man, we need to bring in some experience into the team if we are to challenge for the title. I mean luk at how barca out played us,dey can’t even out play chelsea like dat. At least if barca should play us it should be a tough one for them, not a total overhauling 4 a tdam like arsenal

Kingsley: Its all bullshit! All that couts is trphies. If Arsenal is not ready to spend alteat 300M in two s strikes two midfielders and two defenders then its just all a joke!
We need Lloris, Silva, Villa and preferabley Hangeland, Hazard, another defender and a couple of solid midfielders!
And that will cost 200M!!!!! If they cannot use that, how long should us poor fans have to live with this!!!! Aaaawh! i feel so abused everytime we loose! Im totall with you brother Kinglsey! i think your post is so smart and cleve! I vote Kingsley for next Arsenal Manager!!!! i do i do!!! You must deffo have a University degree and i bet you mare over 50K a year! You are so smart! I wish i was you :p

During the summer I saw Spurs and Manchester Lite spend a fortune on quality players and – even though I stick with Wenger through thick and thin – I genuinely feared the worst.

If someone had offered me fourth place before the season I would have snapped their flipping hand off so I am DELIGHTED with this season and more confident than ever that Wenger is the only man for the job.

Top post. I’m greatly looking forward to an injury free season next year!

Don’t bother urselves wit dis 10 point crab. its all bullshit. arsenal isnt serious and ready to learn, look at even the tottenham we are abt to play they’ll play like they hv the best squad in epl but the truth is de surely do hv a beta squad than arsenal. all im sorry for is we poor fans dat suffer humuliaions. if wenger isnt ready to start buying then i think he shld be sacked alongside the chairman of the club.

Interesting article. You raise some valid points. However I see where the likes of Kingsley are coming from. The team needs some changes and Wenger must act and act first. I predict that next season title race will be more competitive. It behooves Wenger to get a mean streak and sell the surplus players and bring in one or two quality signings.

GREAT article my feelings for sure..Man there are some seriously deluded posters comin on here! Excellent article and totally spot on.. 3 pts from top 5 games to go without RVP for 5 months.. How would manure if coped without Shrek Rooney..Dogbreath fior the chavs over that period? But we have made more 2 massive comebacks in the race for the title from 11 points behind! The spirit is alive and well we have had to fight this season..We have now lost the spine of Cesc, Gallas, Arshavin but will turn over the spuds again and be in it till the last week atleast! Yes we all know we need a few players and better medical care to curb the injuries but perrrrlease get a grip people.. We make one significant buy in the summer in The verminator and we are fighting till the end! Every scumbag pundit wrote us off as 5th or 6th at best.. Enjoy this season win or third come mid May bigger things RED ARMY!

The defeat by Barca is a wake up call.If Arsenal/AW try to play soccer against such teams eg Chelsea/Barca/Mu they will invariably lose.
It’s elementary. With AW accent on attack all these teams have to do is to play anti soccer or suffocate /stop the gunners playing.Hit on the break.
Last season and this season Arsenal have been comprehensively beaten by MU and Chelsea.Unless AW changes his
philosophy ie playing a lot of soccer it will be more of the same.

Srsly you negative posters piss me the f**k off, you sad bastards will be the first to praise Arsene if we win the title and say “I believed all along” if you don’t have anything positive to say then just stfu! And to that African bloke that said that tottenham have a better squad, are you for f***ing real? Look where they are on the table and look where we are, and last time I checked, we mauled the losers 3-0, it’s di**s like u that make all Gooners look bad, if you don’t believe in your own team, f*** off, we don’t want or need you! Cmon Gunners!!

Good post TBG. Wonder what odds you could have got from the bookies on a top 4 finish had they known the extent of our injury list?

A further point…watching Barca last night..gave me even more reason to be a proud gooner. We scared them. Real tried to kick them…and all the chat about who’s the greatest: “Ronaldo or Messi?” is the wrong question. It should be “Xavi or Messi?” After what Xavi did to us and Real, no doubts in my mind.

Anonymous, while Chamakh hasn’t been a prolific scorer, he’s done pretty well, and what is encouraging is the type of goals he scores. His power in the air gives us something different, the Plan B so many claim be don’t have. And since he’s free, he’s not much of a gamble.

Kingsley, your comment is exactly the sort that has been irritating me all week. If you can’t see the improvements made this season, then you’re blind. If we rise every year, we’ll start winning trophies again, and to do it with the most cruel of injury crisis is a phenomenal achievement. Some, like you, choose to ignore the empirical evidence in front of you.

Arsenal is my team , win or loose they will remian so. I supported them when they were finishing half way down the table and will continue to do so. We may not win anything this year but no one can convince me that given the players age they wont improve.
For all you sad people out there who are moaning think about this , are there any other team who could have suffered our injuries and stiil be in the position to fight for the league .Please NAME them!!!!

Great post groan. There are a lot of positives to pull from this season and above all else this season isn’t over yet. RVP is back for spurs, I don’t expect him to be in top form but it’s great news nonetheless. Arsene will make some moves this Summer and we will come into the new season healthy and ready to compete in all competitions.